Jess and Jonathan Nahon, the founders of interior design and architecture firm Sugarhouse, didn’t meet their clients in person until construction had already kicked off on their 805-square-foot apartment—the couple was in Denver, their new place on New York City’s Upper West Side. Yet a level of trust was there from the start. The Nahons happen to live in that very neighborhood—they were as local as you could get.
Sugarhouse set out to transform their two-bedroom unit into spacious one-bedroom with a flex office that could still be used to host guests (both the wife, a crime fiction writer, and the husband, who works in cyber security, have fully remote jobs and needed separate WFH spaces). “It was really ripe for a gut renovation,” says Jonathan.
Moving the plumbing to expand the bathrooms proved to be tricky—and in one of the spaces, not possible. Because of the apartment’s location in the building, the natural light wasn’t the best either. But no challenge could keep the designers from giuving the couple the ultimate warm welcome to Manhattan. Ahead, they give us the low-down on the reno.
When you enter the apartment, it looks like you walk right into the kitchen, is that right?
Jess: Yes! We treated the kitchen like a piece of furniture. Looking at a lot of historical Nordic pieces of furniture (because the wife is Swedish), we noticed that they had a lot of these cannonball details. We decided to bring that into the peninsula to make it look like less of a generic kitchen. We also partnered with Stahl + Band to create these chairs. The whole thing helps open that space up to the living room so it doesn’t feel cramped.
What’s the secret to making a galley kitchen feel super welcoming?
Jonathan: We actually took out the upper cabinets. They were so dark and overwhelming and made that hallway very tight. That was part of our goal: lighten everything up.
Jess: Also, people always think they need so much more storage than they really need!
The stained glass window is beautiful. How did that addition come about?
Jonathan: We wanted to make the connection between the primary bedroom and the more public spaces a little bit more friendly. Part of that was providing a transom window to bring light and animate that kitchen hallway.
Jess: We did a deep dive into Swedish design. The owner was drawn to old tapestries, so we thought that would be the perfect [inspiration for] the stained glass. Friend of All in Philadelphia collaborated with us on this really special piece. On the other side of the window is [the wife’s] study, where she has a desk, a light, and she gets to overlook that stained glass every day.
You introduced more glass in the office—what’s the story behind these charming doors?
Jonathan: We really wanted to make that smaller second bedroom feel part of the common area, so it could be almost thought of as a flex space. What we landed on were double pocket doors and changing the space into a study.
Jess: It just so happened that we were donating some other doors [from another project] to the salvage yard when we saw these glass French doors. We modified them to be pocket doors.
Jonathan: We also used vintage hardware on them. These were definitely a challenge for the contractor, because installing vintage doors is a difficult endeavor, but on top of that we added a curved frame.
I gather they have a lot of books and tech stuff: Where did you store all of that?
Jess: We have a retail [design] background, so we’re used to finding a place for everything. The husband’s one desire was to be able to hide all of his tech equipment at the end of the day, so we partnered with USM to customize a desk. When he leaves for the day, he can pack everything up (his keyboard even slides in!).
This Murano glass chandelier in the living room is a fun find. Where did that come from?
Jess: The apartment is next to a church, so the light that reflects into the apartment (even for just 20 minutes a day) has these amazing hues. We wanted to be able to bring that special golden light into the apartment on a regular basis, so we worked with Sogni di Cristallo to create that blown glass color.
Was the leather sofa a vintage score?
Jess: The clients insisted on having a pullout sofa, and it is very difficult to find a stylish one. We got lucky with Montauk Sofa. It’s a dark blue leather, because one of [the client’s] other stipulations was that they wanted a leather couch (coming from Colorado, they love leather).
What inspired the guest bathroom floor tile?
Jess: That grid design also came from a Nordic tapestry. They both initially wanted something neutral, so we were trying to bring in color in a palatable way. We also love the graphic look, which informed the pattern of the wall tile.
The stone in the primary bathroom is a serious statement, too.
Jonathan: The whole apartment was taken down to the studs, but the primary bath had some unique challenges (there were a number of risers going through there that are a part of the building). While we had considered opening up that shower, we had to keep it more enclosed. They really responded to this stone during our initial design discussions. We thought it would work extremely well wrapping this little bathroom. We also sourced the vanity from a vendor in Morocco, so that’s a solid piece of stone, and then created a custom brass wash stand.
Did they want their bedroom rug to feel a bit more playful?
Jess: We love Cold Picnic’s rugs because of their bold graphics and colors, and the piles are really nice. [The company] was willing to look at these old tapestries that were inspiring us and replicate some elements onto this custom rug (like part of a leaf branch), so it doesn’t look like a stuffy, traditional tapestry.
Why did you decide to mount the nightstands on the wall?
Jess: With a tiny apartment, we didn’t want it to look over-stuffed with storage. We wanted to see as much floor space as possible. The nightstands are concealing the outlets they have, so any chargers can be hidden away.
What would you say was your biggest splurge—and what was your best save?
Jess: We splurged on the stained glass. It took an enormous amount of time. The savings…I think it was the bar cart [in the living room].
Jonathan: Definitely. That was a nice vintage find at a very good price ($500!).
What piece of storage felt like a real game changer for your clients?
Jonathan: We made an effort to maximize the storage with all the custom millwork. Even underneath all the windows, we concealed the radiators, expanding the enclosures so they look more like built-in cabinets. Then, in the study, we provided all the shelving.
Jess: We were lucky to take what was formerly the second bedroom’s closet and incorporate it into the galley kitchen, adding more cabinets and even a wine fridge.
